This jewelry shop has been part of the local economy for generations and now the pandemic and a Summer of rioting has finally chased it away . .
Sadly, there are a few who defend plaza riots over police brutality and blame the pandemic for more than 2 dozen shops closed what was once this town's greatest shopping district . . . Unfortunately, that argument is debunked by the fact that the Helzberg Leawood location is still going strong.
Make no mistake . . .
Kansas City's Country Club Plaza is nearly dead.
And TKC is being an optimist here . . . Now that retail has "evolved" there are more skeptical pundits who don't hold out any hope for the district.
Accordingly, a lesser blog reported this morning that North Kansas City-based Helzberg Diamonds is closing its longtime Country Club Plaza that has been on a prominent Plaza corner since 1948.
Check-it . . .
"In a statement, Helzberg’s chief store operations and real estate officer, Mitch Maggart, said: “Our strategic decision not to renew some store lease agreements, which includes the Plaza location, was difficult but necessary to help us shift resources to focus on accelerating flexible ways for our customers to shop. ... We continue to provide more ways for our customers to shop their way, whether that’s online or safely in our stores."
Developing . . .